Thill-coupling



(No Model.)

O. L. HALL.

THILL GOUPLING.

No. 439,505. Patented 0015.28, 1890.

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NiTn STATES OSCAR L. HALL, OF LEE, MASSACHUSETTS.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,505, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed November l2, 1889. Serial No. 330005x (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR L. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lee, in the county of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in rlhill-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invent-ion relates to thill-eouplings for use on sleighs and vehicles and whether shafts or a pole be used; and it has for its objects to provide for the easy attachment and detachment of the thills, the application of the elastic cushion without the necessity of detaching the thills, and the easy and expeditious tightening of the same when necessary, the detachment of the thills when desired wit-hout the necessity of unserewin g and driving coupling-bolts, the securement of the couplingyoke to the thills and providing it with an open end to lit to an eye clipped to the axle and to receive the bolt or pin which will hold it tothe eye; to provide a set or adjusting screw applied to the rear of the coupling-yoke to hold the yoke in right position to properly support the thills, and, generally, to simplify the construction, increase the efficiency, cheapen the cost of production, increase the strength, and improve the appearance of the thill-coupling.

To the accomplishment of such ends the invention consists in the construction and combination hereinafter particularly described and claimed, reference being had to the accompan ying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in whichd Figure l is a side viewl of the invention applied to a thill coupled by it to a clip of `the axle. Fig. 2 is a side view of the open eye clipped to the axle with the thill and coupling-yoke detached; Fig. 3, a side view with parts in section, showing a portion of a thill with the coupling-yoke, elastic cushion, and adjusting or set screw detached from the open eye. Fig. 4 is a perspective of the couplingyoke and arm by which it is attached to the thill. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing how the yoke-coupling can be used with an ordinary closed eye.

` In the drawings, the letter A designates a portion of an axle having a clip B secured thereto, which clip is provided with a forward extension or arm C, formed into au eye D, open at its rear end so as to allow the insertion or removal of a pin or bolt that will connect a coupling-yoke thereto. It will be observed that the extension or arm C describes an eccentric on its outer surface, the radins increasing downwardly, and also that t-he top wall of the eye D is substantially straight. instead of curved. By such construction when the connecting-yoke is thrown into the posi- Lion shown in Fig. l the eccentric of the extension causes such a binding or tightening of the parts that the thills cannot drop, but are to a certain extent supported and held in the position shown, and they are thus sustained in the best position for a more direct application of the draft and the weight taken from off the horse. By having the top wall of the eye practically straight the bolt or pin I may be thrown against the same when the thills are pressed down, and thus a firm bearing afforded, while at the same time the coupling-yoke and thills may be easily thrown back for purposes of uneoupling.

The coupling-yoke is designated by the letter E, and is composed of ears or side arms F, separated at one end by an open space and connected together at their opposite ends by the neck G, which has an extension or arm II inclined upwardly therefrom, so that a bolt may pass through the same to secure the thill thereto. The ears at their disconnected or free ends are perforated for the passage of a bolt or pin I, that will hold it to the couplingeye connected to the axle.

Inside of the yoke E is a plate or seat J, against which bears the end oi' a set or adjusting screw K, which passes through the neck of the yoke and preferably has its point swiveled in the plate, so that by screwing up the screw the plate is moved in one direction and unscrewing it the plate is moved in the opposite direction. The effect of this is to increase or lessen the pressure on an elastic cushion L of rubber or other suitable material, and thus more or less tightly clamp the rubber between the plate J and eye D and prevent rattling and distribute the strain over the coupling bolt or pin I, and thus re- ICO lieve the same against undue strain and consequent injury. This set or adjusting screw is applied in the manner described, so that it may have the additional function of supporting the thill in its proper position when the screw is tightened sufficiently to compress the elastic cushion enough to effect that desirable result. It will also be observed that When the thills are in their proper position to receive the draft the ears of the coupling-yoke stand in a horizontal position-that is, they extend in a horizontal or substantially horizontal line in eontradistinetion to a vertical line, and that the adjusting or set screw bears in a straight line against the plate which forms the bed for the elastic cushion. By so constructing the parts and applying the neckyoke the draft is thrown more directly in a straight line upon the ears in the direction of their length, and the compression of the elastic cushion is more directly in the line of draft, and there is thus obtained greater strength of parts, greater ease in their application and operation, a neater appearing coupling, and greater facility in the detachment of the thills when desired. When the thills are to be detached, it is only necessary to loosen the adjusting or set screw and throw them backward toward the axle, when the coupling-pin I will pass out of the eye and into the space between it and the clip, and the thills can then be lifted out of place. On the other hand, so long as the ears of the coupling set horizontally, or the-thills in the position they stand in when the horse is hitched thereto, it is impossible for them to become accidentally detached, even if the adjusting-screw should become loose. Whenever the elastic cushion is to be replaced by another, it is only necessary to loosen the setscrew so as to draw back the bearing-plate J, when another cushion can be substituted for the old one, and this, as will be seen, is accomplished without detaching the thills or loosening the coupling-pin which secures the yoke to the eye of the clip. The couplingpin I may be merely a pin passed loosely through the perforation in the ear and the eye of the clip and have its ends upset, so as to prevent its accidental displacement; but, if desired, it may be formed as an integral part of the ears or yoke-coupling Without departing from the other features of my invention.

If desired, instead of using an open eye, IV

may use a closed eye projecting from the axleclip, as shown in Fig. 5, in which case a screwthreaded bolt provided with a nut would be used to couple the yoke to the eye.

Having described my invention and setforth its merits, what I claim is In a thill-coupling, a coupling-yoke E, composed of ears F, separated at one end and connected together at the opposite end by the neck G, an arm H, having its lower end connected to the neck VG and extending upwardly therefrom, as shown, a plate J, fitted between t-he ears F and adapted to support an elastic cushion L between it and the eyebolt end of the yoke,and an adj ustingscrewboltK,passed through the neck G below the arm H and connected to the plate J to adjust it back and forth, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OSCAR L. HAIL.

lVitnesses l JOHN M. HALL,

JOHN BRANNING. 

